CURATED BY – RAJIV KHARE | CITYCHIEFNEWS

Raipur, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday took a major action in the much-discussed Rs 2000 crore liquor scam of Chhattisgarh and arrested former Excise Minister of the state and current Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma and his son Harish Lakhma. The arrest came after the third interrogation at the ED office in Raipur. ED lawyer Saurabh Chandrakar confirmed the arrest.
The ED raided the hideouts of Lakhma and his son in Raipur, Sukma and Dhamtari districts on 28 December 2024. Evidence of cash transactions was claimed to have been found during the investigation. The ED alleged that during the Bhupesh Baghel government between 2019-2022, Lakhma used to receive huge amounts of cash in cash monthly from the proceeds of the liquor scam.

According to the ED, Kawasi Lakhma claimed his innocence during interrogation and said that he was being implicated in a false case. At the same time, after the arrest, he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said that this is an attempt to suppress the voice of a tribal leader.

After the arrest, the politics of the state has heated up. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel termed the ED action as "political vendetta". He wrote on the social media platform 'X', "This action is a conspiracy to defame Congress leaders at the behest of the central government. The entire Congress party stands with Kawasi Lakhma."

Deputy CM Vijay Sharma also reacted and said that the scam was done in the name of "FL-10" license while Lakhma was the Excise Minister. He said, "The law will do its job and the culprits will not be spared."

The total amount of the liquor scam has been estimated at Rs 2000 crore. The scam took place during the Congress government, when Lakhma was the Excise Minister. The ED has claimed that in this scam, many politicians were given financial benefits from the proceeds of crime.

While the Congress party is calling the ED's action a political vendetta in this case, the BJP is calling it "action against corruption". This matter has become the main issue of political debate amid the upcoming panchayat elections. The arrest of Kawasi Lakhma has intensified the political stir in Chhattisgarh. This scam is sure to have an impact on the state's politics and the upcoming elections. Now everyone's eyes are on the next action of the court and the ED.